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A denomination by definition requires a certain level of agreement. You can’t facilitate Gospel mission together if you don’t agree on what the Gospel is and is not – not to mention what the mission is and is not. You can’t train pastors together unless you agree on who is and who is not called to be a pastor. You can’t consult with one another on church discipline if you don’t agree as to what is sin and what is not sin. To do anything useful at all, an association of churches must enjoy a very broad base of theological, ecclesiological and missiological agreement.

If they don’t have it, there is no reasonable justification for their continued existence.

Recognizing this, many denominations have chosen to take refuge in a studied ambiguity. They simply refuse to talk about anything that might reveal substantial disagreements. Motions are quashed, business is hurried and correspondence goes unanswered. While this approach may delay the break up of a denomination for months or even years, it does nothing to address the fundamental question:

Are we together?

Do we believe the same things?

Is there any compelling reason to continue investing in this association?

Eventually, delay and denial become a sort of answer on their own and the inevitable break-up ensues.

But must it be this way?

Must our denominations slowly dissolve behind a fog of bureaucratic maneuvering, feigned ambiguity and missiological minimalism?

Or is there a way forward?

Could it be that honest, frank conversation and self discovery would reveal to us the possibility of a fruitful and useful future? Could some agreement, over time, through dialogue and mutual exchange become more agreement, become substantial agreement, become sufficient agreement? Or should we go our separate ways and pursue the cause of Christ as friendly co-belligerents?

This question will be answered one way or the other over the next several years. I propose we answer it frankly, transparently, intentionally and immediately.

Towards that end, I offer these 25 questions that should the Lord so will, could be used to save my denomination. Or failing that, a great deal of valuable time and energy.

I propose that these questions – or some other comparable list – be sent to every pastor and Board of elders/deacons/overseers/trustees in our denomination. Whether the Board answers collectively, collaboratively or representatively I care not at all. What we need is a starting place. What we need is a rough idea of where we stand. The following questions, while by no means perfect, should serve to get that ball rolling.

Concerning The Doctrine Of Scripture:

1. Do you believe that the Bible (consisting of the 66 Books of the Old and New Testament) is inspired, authoritative, sufficient, necessary and clear? By inspired is meant “breathed out, initiated and super-intended by the Holy Spirit of God”. By authoritative is meant “binding on the conscience, final in arbitration”. By sufficient is meant “containing everything necessary for salvation and godly living”. By necessary is meant “needful for salvation – faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.” By clear is meant “the saving message of Jesus is plainly taught in the Bible and can be understood, loved and trusted in by individuals without human mediation.”

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

2. Do you believe that the Bible is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God’s acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God’s saving grace in individual lives?[1]

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

3. Do you believe that Christ is the focus, centre and climax of the Scriptures and the ultimate author and guarantor of the same?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

4. Do you believe that the preaching of Jesus Christ from all of Holy Scripture ought to be the focus and priority of corporate worship?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

Concerning The Doctrine Of God:

5. Do you believe that there is but one only living and true God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, infinite in being and perfection to whom all creatures owe the highest love, reverence and obedience?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

6. Do you believe that this one God has existed eternally as Father, Son (or the Word) and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

7. Do you believe that God has decreed in himself, from all eternity, all things that come to pass; yet not so as thereby to be the author of sin or to do violence to the will of the creature?[2]

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

Concerning The Doctrine Of Creation And Fall:

8. Do you believe that God created all things, whether visible or invisible for the manifestation of his glory, power, wisdom and goodness

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

9. Do you believe that there was an actual Adam and Eve; a historical first man and woman, created in the image and likeness of God?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

10. Do you believe that because of the fall, all human beings are born with a corrupt nature and a natural inclination towards rebellion, idolatry and sin?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

Concerning The Doctrine Of Redemption:

11. Do you believe that people are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, for the glory of God alone?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

12. Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross as our sinless substitute and that he endured the righteous punishment that we deserved?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

13. Do you believe that the death of Jesus on the cross satisfied the wrath of God and the requirements of the law such that all those who confess their sins and believe on Christ may be at peace with God through the merits of his sacrifice?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

14. Do you believe that Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead on the third day and that he later ascended to the Father’s right hand where he ever lives, in his glorified body, to make intercession for his people?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know


Concerning The Doctrine Of Marriage, Sexuality And Gender:

15. Do you believe that God instituted marriage as being between one man and one woman for their mutual help and comfort, for the increase of godly offspring on the earth and for his own glory?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

16. Do you believe that men and women are equal with respect to dignity and worth; equal with respect to their salvation and status in Jesus Christ and yet gloriously, wonderfully and intentionally different with respect to role, responsibility and calling?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

17. Do you believe that any form of sexual intercourse outside of the one-flesh union of one man and one woman in lawful marriage is sinful and therefore contrary to the glory of God and the cause of human flourishing?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

Concerning The Ministry And Mission Of The Church:

18. Do you believe that every born again believer has a Spirit-given capacity to participate in the worship and service of God and an associated obligation to do so?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

19. Do you believe that the heart of the Great Commission is the command to make disciples by going into all the world, baptizing people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey the word and will of Christ?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

20. Do you believe that the Gospel must be preached and heard in order for people to be truly saved, while gladly admitting the advantage and necessity of adorning our Gospel proclamation with deeds of kindness and mercy?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

Concerning Baptism And The Lord’s Supper:

21. Do you believe that water baptism is a New Testament ordinance, commanded by Jesus Christ, obligatory upon every believer, a sign of our salvation and fellowship, a testimony of our faith, prerequisite to church membership and that it properly follows a credible profession of faith?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

22. Do you believe that immersion, or dipping of the person in water is necessary to the due administration of baptism?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

23. Do you believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ, to be administered with the elements of bread and wine[3], to be observed by his church until the end of the world and that it is in no sense a sacrifice, but is designed to commemorate his death, to confirm the faith and other graces of Christians and to be a bond, pledge and renewal of their communion with him and of their church fellowship?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

Concerning The Doctrine Of Last Things:

24. Do you believe in the imminent and physical return of Jesus Christ to the earth?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

 

25. Do you believe that on the last Day, the Lord Jesus shall return and the dead shall rise again to stand before God in Final Judgment when everyone shall receive according to their deeds; the wicked shall go unto everlasting punishment; the righteous in Christ unto everlasting life?

Yes                             No                               Don’t know

A Final Word:

Denominations are not an end unto themselves. They are not necessary. They may be helpful, but to be helpful they have to enjoy a wide base of agreement. J.I. Packer said that “compromise of convictions is not the way to godly union; church union is not an altar on which biblical essentials, as we apprehend them, may be sacrificed. Union of churches must rest upon manifest unity of faith.”[4]

J.C. Ryle, was slightly more direct; he said:  “Unity purchased at the expense of creeds and doctrines is a miserable, cold, worthless unity.  I, for one, want none of it.”[5]

I believe that a process of honest inquiry, such as suggested by the questionnaire above, would be a blessing to the CBOQ – or to any other denomination in crisis. If taken seriously and engaged in broadly, it would by logical necessity accomplish one of the following two things:

  1. It would reveal that the present churches in the CBOQ do not enjoy anything approaching the level of unity required to justify a large central administration and a shared missiological program. That in itself could be an enormous blessing. Churches that are free to disengage from each other in terms of formal association may find themselves more able to engage in friendly conversation, mutual prayer and general Christian fellowship. Resources and energy could then be redirected to more fruitful Gospel initiatives.
  2. It would reveal that the present churches in the CBOQ do enjoy a robust agreement sufficient to justify a large central administration and a shared missiological program. Being convinced of that, churches and leaders would no doubt invest more money, time, effort and prayer in these initiatives.

Either of the options listed above should be considered a win for the cause of the kingdom. In that case our only enemy is fear, obfuscation, ambiguity, deception and delay.

Therefore, whether we work together, or apart, let us get on with it. Let us inquire, listen, discern, pray, purpose and resolve. And then let us return to the field – for the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few (Matthew 9:37).

Even still, come Lord Jesus!

SDG

Paul Carter

January 23rd, 2018

If you would like to participate in an online version of this questionnaire, see here.

N.B. To listen to Pastor Paul’s Into The Word devotional podcast on the TGC Canada website see here. You can also find it on iTunes.


[1] As stated in the Chicago Statement of Inerrancy.

[2] Said another way: “Do you believe that God is Sovereign over all things while also believing that human beings are morally responsible creatures?”

[3] Whether fermented or unfermented.

[4] J.I. Packer, “Anglican-Methodist Unity”, in Fellowship in the Gospel: Evangelical Comment on Anglican Methodist Unity and Intercommunion Today (Abingdon, UK: Marcham Manor, 1968), 26 as cited in Sam Storms, Packer On The Christian Life (Wheaton: Crossway, 2015), 21.

[5] Eric Russell, J.C. Ryle: That Man Of Granite With The Heart Of A Child, (Fearn: Christian Focus Publications, 2001), 224.

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